ASIA Matters for America

Indiana Leaders’ Delegation to Japan Deepens Economic Ties

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by
ALISON MA on Mar 14, 2017

Featured in: Asia, Japan

A delegation from Indiana met with Honda Motor Company in 2016, thanking them for their investment in east central Indiana as a Tier One Supplier. ASIMO is a humanoid robot designed and developed by Honda. [Image: East Central Indiana Regional Partnership; LinkedIn]

Representatives from east central Indiana conducted a trade and business mission to Japan in November 2016. The purpose of the mission was to express appreciation to existing Japanese industry partners with facilities located in Indiana, and to explore opportunities for future economic development, investment, and trade.

Mike Pavey, mayor of the Rushville, a city with population 6,300, was an attendee of the delegation. Rushville is home to Japanese subsidiary, INTAT Precision, a supplier for Toyota and one of the town’s top employers. The trip gave opportunity for Pavey to express gratitude in person to INTAT’s parent company, Aisin Takaoka Co., for the company’s rapid growth over the last four years, which accounted for nearly $50 million of investment and more than 70 new employees in Rushville, Indiana.

Other group members, including Dave Snow, Mayor of Richmond, and Valerie Shaffer, President of Wayne County’s Economic Development Corporation, affirmed the success of the trip. The delegation conducted nearly two dozen meetings over eight days, including face-to-face sessions with presidents of Japanese companies such as TBK, Yamaguchi Manufacturing, Yukiya, Asahi Tec, and Suncall, with manufacturing and distributing centers located in Richmond, Indiana. The delegation also met with Honda Motor Company, thanking them for their investment in east central Indiana as a Tier One Supplier. Other meetings held included introductions to prospective industry partners considering opening local operations in Wayne County.